The End of All Things
by violate11stydia
Summary: James Potter thought getting hit by the Cruciatus Curse was the worst he would ever feel in his life. He was wrong. Lily, memories of the magical world erased and having flashes of a man with messy hair and a smirk to match all others. James, raising their son on his own, has panic attacks when he sees the color red. Sirius, decides to take the problem into his own hands. Oh joy.
1. Chapter 1

**Prologue: Gone**

_"The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches... born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies...and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not... and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives... the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies..."_

_They'd said it'd be safer. _James remembered.

"No..no, this isn't true. It can't be true!" Lily exclaimed in disbelief, "You, you can't truly think this is about Harry, there has to be a mistake"  
>Dumbledore bowed his head, unable to look at the fresh faces of his former students, "I'm afraid there's no mistake, Lily-"<br>"It's a mistake!" James blurted out, fists clenched by his sides, "The prophecy speaks of a boy born at the end of July! It could be any-"  
>"It is about Harry, James. Your son, Harry. We can no longer deny that fact. What we must do now is act, and act fast"<br>"What do we do, Dumbledore" asked Lily, reaching for James' hand. Lily squeezed hard, fearing for their lives, and more importantly, Harry's life, their very own son.  
>Dumbledore's eyes flickered away from Lily's to James', looking nervous for a half-second before regaining his neutral stare, "Have you ever heard of the Fidelius Charm, Mrs. Potter?"<p>

_I should've fought harder, tried harder. Lily wouldn't want this. _James took another swing of firewhiskey.

"James, if you would, please stay behind with me a bit longer?" Dumbledore asked, holding a sorrowful gaze at the young couples intertwined hands.  
>James solemnly nodded, "Go to Sirius' and tell him to get Remus and Peter. Be safe" He gave his wife and kiss on the cheek, holding her pale hand in his for a bit longer and then she was gone.<br>The room was silent for a few moments after Lily left, Dumbledore seemed to forget how to stand and sat down on an armchair in the corner of the room. He stared curiously at the ugly lamp James' mother had given him years ago.  
>"I'm not trying to be rude, Headmaster" James spoke through gritted teeth, "But if you're just going to admire our fine decor, than I'm going to have to go to my wife"<p>

Dumbledore sighed, adverting his gaze from the ugly lamp to James Potter, "James, you were always a bright boy, " He spoke, carefully choosing his words as always, "Even when others couldn't see it in you, I could. And since I know just how perceptive you are, I hope you know that I have no intention of putting Lily and you under the protection of the Fidelius Charm"  
>Tension froze in the air. The hazel eyed boy, man now, stared at the old man as if he had suddenly turned into Voldemort right then and there.<br>"So you asked me to stay to tell me that you aren't going to protect us?" James spat, getting to his feet, "I'm sorry that we've cause you any inconvenience, it isn't like my son and my wife's lives aren't on the line here! I'll go if you-"  
>"Just you, James. I have no intention of putting you <em>and <em>Lily under the charm. Only you"_  
><em>

James froze, trying to think of any way in which this man was making any sense. He decided he didn't have any sense left in him.  
>"What is that supposed to mean?" He spoke slowly.<br>"Lily is one of the finest, brightest, and strongest witch I've met in my lifetime. But, she is a muggleborn, James. She is in more danger now with this prophecy, than she was before. I intend to make your whole families life safer. And the only way we can make Lily safe is if she doesn't know"  
>"Doesn't know what?" The wide-eyed man asked in horror.<br>"About witches and wizards. Hogwarts. Magic...Us" Dumbledore paused to give James a 'Don't you dare talk while I'm talking' look, and continued, "At least until the war is over."  
>He then paused to give James time to protest.<br>"I knew you were mad, Dumbledore. But this is just...low. There is no way I'm allowing this to happen. Lily will be safer with me, and a wand, than she will in the Muggle world! This is will be like committing murder! No!"

"Do you love Lily, James?" Dumbledore asked, staring into James' eyes.  
>James ran a hand through his messy, unmanageable hair and nodded, "More than anything. Which is why I can't-"<br>"Do you want to keep Lily safe? Harry?"  
>"Of course, but-"<br>"Then we must do this. The Order has already come to a consensus. Once your son in born, Lily will be put under the Confundus Charm until the war ends. You and Harry will move around and live with different members of the Order until Harry turns eleven and comes to Hogwarts. When the war ends, we'll go and try our best to get Lily's memories back"

James' head was in his hands, he couldn't believe this was happening, "And suppose we can't get her memories back? Suppose she goes off and marries a muggle? Suppose she has another child? Or, suppose a Death Eater, like Snape, finds her before we can and warps her mind? What happens then, Headmaster?" He asked, venom dripping off all the words.  
>Dumbledore laid a comforting hand on James' shoulder, "It is a risk we'll have to take"<p>

_We shouldn't have taken the risk. _

Harry James Potter was born July 31, 1980. They'd been under a trick Fidelius Charm, for only a couple months before Lily went into labor. Remus, Sirius, Peter, and Dumbledore were the only ones the Potter's requested be there.  
>"He has your eyes" James whispered and he lied down next to his wife, holding his small baby boy in his arms for the first time.<br>Lily rested her head on her husband's chest, closing her eyes and holding onto her child's tiny hands, "I guarantee he'll inherit your hair James. It'll be impossible, just like yours. Of course, he'll inherit my magic skills" She boasted, earning a smile from James.  
>James rolled his eyes and a smirk took place of the smile, "Oh yeah, Evans? What makes you so superior?"<br>"I could out hex you any day Potter. And its not Evans anymore, remember?" She smiled, opening up her green eyes and tilting her head up towards James, "I'm a Potter, now. We all are" She smiled and leaned in to kiss James' lips.

A knock at the door the very next day broke the family apart. He tried to keep a guilty look off his face, but failed miserably.  
>James tensed up when he entered the room, asking Lily if he could hold Harry for a second, "Pads want to officially hold his godson" He felt guiltier as he watched his wife smile, "Make sure you tell him not to drop the baby, we wouldn't want Harry turning out like his father now, would we?"<br>"Ha, ha" James managed to keep a relatively normal tone. He gave his wife a hug before he left, trying not to seem to suspicious. "James?" Lily asked, when he pulled away.  
>"Are you really taking him to Pads or are you kidnapping my child?" James rolled his eyes and kissed Lily's forehead one last time before exiting the room. He met Sirius, Remus, and Peter in the kitchen.<br>"Hold Harry" He whispered to Sirius, carefully handing his child to his best friend. James grabbed a bottle of firewhiskey from the fridge and sat down on the floor. He took a large gulp of the liquor and scrunched his face up as the liquid burned down his throat.  
>"It's really happening now, Prongs?" Sirius asked, no hint of the joy he felt the day before.<br>James nodded, leaning his head against the fridge. He felt a presence sit next to him, and turned to look at Remus.  
>Remus offered him a small smile, "I'm not saying it'll be okay, mate, but we'll be right next to you the whole damn time. And when Voldemort is gone, I'll personally track down Lily and make her remember every little detail about you and her real life. Even the embarrassing stuff, like when you got hammered at that Christmas party, and recited the "poem" you made for her. How did it go again, Padfoot? Wormtail?"<br>James didn't crack a smile, but he felt an new wave of admiration for his friends.  
>"I believe it went something like... <em>Oh Lily you make me so sillyyou're hair is red/mine is black/Wait-does anything rhyme with black?_" Peter recited.  
>"And then you proceeded to fall off the table. Good times" Sirius beamed, cradling Harry in his arms.<p>

They heard a crack from the next room, and the mood fell once again.  
>"She's gone?" James asked, his hazel eyes watering as he took another sip of firewhiskey. Remus put a hand on his best friends shoulder and nodded,<br>"Yeah, Prongs. She's gone"


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter One: Asking Questions**

The war seemed to be never ending. Everyday it continued, a new name of someone James had known was added to the list of casualties. Frank and Alice Longbottom, two of the bravest people James ever knew, were tortured by a group of Death eaters about a year after Harry was born. They lived, however, their curse was much worse than dying in James' opinion. They could no longer function like they used to, and they didn't remember anything really.

When James visited them at Saint Mungos, he had to excuse himself from the room when he Alice wouldn't, _couldn't, _talk and gave him a candy wrapper. And he lost it when Frank, a man who James had silently admired for years, barely acknowledged him. The pain from losing Lily was still raw, and his friends getting hurt this bad just made those wounds deeper.

Five years later, and the war was no closer to being over. Frank and Alice never got better, and their son, Neville, who was Harry's age, was sent to live with his grandparents. They took Harry in sometimes, when James had to scout out Death eaters or when a bittersweet day came along, like Lily's birthday. James felt the loss tug on his heart even more on days like that. He couldn't help but think about what she might be doing on those days. Would she be out celebrating? If so, with who?

The thought of her with someone else was too much for James to handle. He would go visit Frank and Alice on Lily's birthday, he liked the silence and the peacefulness it came with. Alice would always grab his hand and give it a squeeze, as if she understood what was happening, even though James knew it wasn't possible. It was comforting, nonetheless.

* * *

><p>As Harry grew older, the questions started forming in his mind. He'd seen what families looked like, when he stayed at the Weasley's, he always wanted Fred and George to give him piggyback rides, and he'd always manage to steal a cookie when Mrs. Weasley wasn't looking.<p>

When he went to Neville's grandparents' house, he'd look at pictures of a young couple and Neville as a baby, they looked happy, like a real family should.

So, when Harry was about six years old, James was caught off guard when Harry asked him, "Why don't I have a mommy? Everyone else does" James nearly dropped Harry out of his arms.  
>James tried to think of a way to explain the situation to Harry, but it was too painful and complicated for a child to hear. But, he didn't want to lie, because James knew Lily would be back soon enough, so he told the truth.<br>"You do have a mommy" He stated, looking at familiar green eyes, the same ones that belonged to his wife. "And one day, when things are better, she'll be back"

Harry's face lit up, "Really?" He shrieked excitedly, fidgeting in James' arms, "Where is she? Why isn't she with us?" James never even thought of the possibility of Harry asking questions about Lily. He supposed he should've prepared for this.  
>"Well Harry, I don't know where exactly she is, but she's someplace where the bad guys can't get to her. We don't want anyone to hurt her, right?" Harry nodded, his glasses sliding down his face.<p>

James reached up and readjusted them. Harry looked up at his dad, curiosity in his eyes, "What was she like?"  
>For a second, James could hear Lily in his head shouting at him to be careful what he said about her, "Well, you saw pictures in our house, right? She has red hair and eyes just like yours-"<br>"No!" Harry yelled, shaking his head, "Was she like Aunt Molly? Or was she like Neville's gamma?" He said, wrinkling his nose, "Neville's gamma doesn't let me have cookies"

James smiled, "She was, she was the kindest person I've ever known. Even though she could be a smart..." He paused, hearing the warning from Lily in his head, "A smart cookie. She was the smartest girl in our year at Hogwarts, her only competition was Uncle Moony, really. She had the funniest laugh ever," James smiled, hearing her laugh on replay in his head, "It wasn't like a quiet giggle a lot of girls have, it was loud and obnoxious in every way. Sometimes she even snorted, like a pig" Harry laughed at that, "You could hear her laughing from miles away, but she never cared if people thought it was weird. She never really cared what anyone thought of her, thats what I loved about her"

James frowned, this was the most he'd talked about Lily in about five or six years. It didn't hurt as much as he thought it would.  
>Harry yawned, wrapping his arms around his father's neck, "I can't wait to meet her" He spoke, closing his eyes and leaning against James' chest, "I already love her"<br>James had to blink away his tears, there was no way his son was going to see him cry.  
>"She loves you too, Harry, so much"<p>

* * *

><p>The first time he saw her since August 1, 1980, she was smacking her car and swearing like a sailor.<p>

It was by accident, James would never do anything to jeopardize Harry's or Lily's life by trying to find her, but he had walking into London to clear his mind while Harry was spending the night at the Weasley's. The Order was having a memorial service for all the lives lost this past year in a few days, as they do at the end of every year, and James couldn't stand the number of names that were going to be read off.

It was late in the evening, and he was crossing a bridge that led back to his house when he saw the car at the side of the road. The first thing he noticed was the loud banging, then a string of curses, and then the red hair. He stopped dead in his tracks, wondering if it was all a dream as it couldn't possibly be real. But it was.

Lily's cursing stopped when she noticed James, "Oy!" She yelled, waving him over to her. James hesitantly walked her way, ignoring the panic that shot through him. He could barely make out words when he saw her up close. Yes, her eyes were still green. Yes, she still insisted on wearing Doc Martens. But her hair, her beautiful, red hair, was streaked with black dye at the tips. The sight caught James off guard.

"You look fit enough," She said eyeing James up and down, "Do you know how to change a flat? I'm already very late to my sister's... I don't know what it is. I think her sons having a birthday party or something and they'll kill me if I don't show up." James continued to stare at her, too shocked to speak.

"Do you talk?" She asked, after he didn't answer, "If you don't know, thats fine, but I don't want to be gawked at...wait are you a rapist? Is this what you've been waiting for? I'm sorry, Mr, but I have pepper spray and I am _so _not afraid to use it. I will-"

"Not a rapist!" James shouted, catching Lily off guard, "Sorry, I mean, I, I might be able to help you with um a flat?" He asked, confused as to what exactly a flat was. _I knew I should've taken Muggle Studies. _

Lily smiled, "Thank you so much! Sorry for accusing you of being a rapist, you look like a very nice person. I'm Lily, by the way" She said, extending her arm out. James hesitantly shook it, remembering all the times he held that hand when he wanted to feel safe, "James, er, its nice to meet you" It took everything he had to say that. She smiled again, "Okay well, get fixing, Mr" He nodded looking around the car. Which piece was the flat?

"Um, where is the problem?" He asked, hoping he didn't sound too stupid. Lily pointed to one of the tires, "Right there"  
><em>Oh, a tire, <em>James thought, _Why did she call it a flat? Is that what Muggles call them now?_

He looked at it, and looked back at Lily who was admiring the sunset. He looked at a muggle tool she brought out, but could not for the life of him figure out what it did. James looked back, made sure Lily wasn't looking, and mumbled a spell under his breath.

"What'd you say?" Lily asked, turning back to him. She grinned when she saw her tire all fixed, "Oh my, thank you!" She smiled, relief flooding her face, "You're a lifesaver!" She said, wrapping her arms around James' neck. He wanted to stay like that forever, just holding her in his arms for the first time in years. But it was over as soon as it ended. Lily pulled back with a curious look on her face. She stepped toward her car and opened the door, "I'd love to stay and thank you some more, but I'm late so..." She gave him one last smile, before getting in her car and driving away.

That was the last time he saw her for another five years.


End file.
